Illusion
by Anonymess
Summary: Nearly a year after defeating Long Dian, Feng Lan finds herself living a normal college life with the exception of her professor constantly trying to take her out to dinner. Yet the night she finally lets him, she learns that someone has taken Prince's image in a new game and claiming to be the Blood Elf himself...
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes: Spoiler alert first off and for most- This takes place nearly a year after the end of the original story of 1/2 Prince, and before the epilogue/sequel. So there are no kids in this, whether this makes you happy or not. **

**A reader mentioned something about writing more 1/2 Prince stories that don't take place in the manhua or novel, which I had been originally trying to do for some time but could never get it off the ground. Yesterday I had a "Eureka!" moment, and now we have this. I don't know how long this will go, but I will try to commit myself to it till the end. As always, reviews are greatly _NEEDED _to continue writing, so please do not think someone else will review for you. That kind of mentality hurts writers -sad face-.  
**

**Anyway, onto the story!**

* * *

"Sis, I'm hungry!" My brother whined for the sixth time since we walked into the door of our house. It was only three o'clock, a hour after our classes for the day had ended and only two from when we had lunch in the school cafeteria. But none of that mattered to Yang Ming's constantly starving stomach; he was so bad that we always had to drag him out of an all-you-can-eat buffet if we went to one.

"I'm going to tell you this one last time, Yang Ming... You, Mom and Dad are going to have to fend for yourselves tonight!" I snapped back, trying to fix my hair in the hallway mirror. No matter how many times I tried to curl, braid, or pin up my hair to look even remotely cute it would end up looking like a rat's nest. _I guess a ponytail will do... Again... _I resigned myself to defeat as I started to pull up my hair into my standard ponytail.

"But Dad is busy watching TV, and last time Mom made something we nearly came down with food poisoning because she didn't cook the pork long enough..." Yang Ming mumbled, giving a slight pout in case I ever looked his way.

"Now, now son! Don't pester your sister so much!" I suddenly heard our mom call from the living room. "After all, she's going out with that incredibly handsome professor! We don't want her to get cold feet when she's finally agreed to go on a date with him!"

_**"Mom!" **_I cried indigently. I was ready to argue that the reason why I finally did is because I was always worried that people figure out that A: He was trying to date one of his students and B: that I was formerly Prince, world-renown player and bishounen of _Second Life; _a virtual reality game that a little under a year ago was at the heart of an act of terrorism that nearly overtook the world._ There's no point in arguing with Mom half the time, she is too concerned with the fact that she has an incredibly handsome man as a potential son-in-law... Wait, what!? _My mind froze and face grew hot at the intrusive thought. _No! I did not just acknowledge the fact that marrying Gui is a possibility! He's just... Ugh. _I prevented myself from pursuing the idea, getting the feeling I was just going to make myself even more flustered.

My embarrassment did not go unnoticed by my twin, who knew this was the perfect time to fluster me even more. "Oh I wouldn't worry, Mom." Yang Ming said, an evil smirk creeping up as he spoke. "After all, Gui just got his very own Prince to agree on a date with him! There's no way he'll let her run away from him, now..."

The doorbell rang just as I had administered my hairbrush to my brother's face, causing me to freeze up. _He's here...!_

Unsurprisingly, my mom made record speed from the living room to the door so she could answer it. She had never truly met Gui, even in _Second Life_. They were not part of the castle, opting to run away from Infinite City which they claimed as their home to other continents. But everyone knew about the famous Odd Squad and its members, including the charming bard named Guiliastes, Professor Min Gui Wen's character. In a show of cowardice, I quickly hid behind my brother as my mother opened the door to reveal my professor whom I had hours earlier, droning on about some sort of literature work that was written in the 14th century.

_"Lan better not screw this up..."_ I saw my mom mouth as I watched a trickle of saliva threaten to escape from the corner of her lips. At first I thought she was exaggerating, rolling my eyes at her reaction. _Come on, Mom. Seriously. I know he's handsome, but... But... _I quickly disagreed as I finally took a look at my professor-turned-date, who had cleaned up quite nicely since we had seen him in class a couple of hours ago. His hair was styled and gel fashionably, wearing stylish clothes without looking too dressed up for a casual outing. He looked nothing like a stuffy professor who taught Chinese Literature, but instead a young man that any girl would fight for attention from.

He suddenly cleared his throat, looking slightly uncertain as to what to do. "Uh, good evening! I assume you are Mrs. Feng? It's nice to meet you!" He said hastily, holding out his right hand. _He's nervous! _I thought in disbelief, before I remembered that Gui wasn't the best at socializing. _After all, he told me that he imagines all his students as rocks... Wait, does that mean he imagines me as a rock too!?_

"Yes, yes I am! And you are Professor Min Gui Wen then, correct?" My mom replied excitedly, grabbing his hand in a frighteningly tight grip. "Yang Ming and Lan have told me so much about you!"

Gui's face went pink, _probably from being called a professor at his date's house! _"P-Please, Gui is fine... And that's good to hear. Speaking of..." He trailed off, looking straight at Yang Ming, as if he knew I was hiding behind him. Surprisingly Yang Ming did not move, making me suspicious. _Usually Yang Ming likes making me feel awkward every chance he has, but isn't doing anything right now. What is he planning?_

"Oh, looking for my sister?" Yang Ming spoke up, trying to sound serious. But I knew better, there was a tone in his voice that only meant mischief. "She's still in her room, probably. She takes **_forever_ **with getting ready, you know. It takes her twenty minutes just to put on a pair of pants!"

"... Oh?" Gui said, his tone changing to be more teasing. The same tone he would use on Prince whenever he was prime for a good beating. "I guess that means I'll go to that really nice restaurant I reserved three months ago and eat clam pasta with white wine all by myself..."

_**"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE ME BEHIND, GUILIASTES!" **_I yelled. I was unable to hold back, launching myself at him. However I was caught by my brother, who was laughing hysterically.

"Gee Sis, you're just too easy to rile up sometimes!" He laughed, pushing me out the door and into Gui. "Now, I trust you two kids won't do anything I wouldn't do!" My brother teased, before slamming the door on us to increase the awkwardness of his implication. _He's really going to get it when I get home!__  
_

Gui gave a slight cough, making me realized I was still leaning against him from when my brother pushed me out. Quickly I detached myself, straightening my clothes and patting down my hair. I looked up to see Gui looking at me, his eyes filled with love. I wasn't sure what to say, but my stomach decided to make a complaint with a growling noise emitting from it. "So uh... Can we eat?"

* * *

"That was probably the best meal I've ever had!" I exclaimed happily, my stomach complaining no longer. Today was Valentine's Day, so the restaurant we went to was packed with couples of all ages. I had to give Gui props for how relentless he was; he had reserved our table immediately after I gave into his constant pleas for me to go on a date with him on Valentine's Day, three months prior to the actual day. How he was able to reserve a table that late when the waiting list for the restaurant was usually a year he wouldn't say, but I have a feeling he might have mentioned his famous character once or twice in that conversation...

"I'm glad you enjoyed it!" He replied just as happily, giving off a bright smile. He leaned across the table towards me, propping his elbows up and resting his chin on his folded hands. "Is there anything else you want? Anything at all?"

"Uh..." I was completely dumbfounded, unable to break away from his gentle eyes. I leaned in closer, wanting to take a closer look as the flame from the candles on the table danced in his eyes. It seemed like his face was getting closer to mine, and his eyes even softer. _Is what I think is happening, happening again...? _I thought to myself, vaguely remembering what he had done in Flower City after Prince was destroyed.

_"In other news... Prince..." _I heard out of the drone of conversations in the dining room, snapping me out of my trance. I immediately turned in the direction of where I heard it from, where there was a TV in the bar area of the restaurant.

"I-Is there something wrong, Xiao Lan?" Gui asked, confused and slightly miffed at his chance being gone.

"Prince." I said simply.

"Prince?" Gui asked again, even more confused.

I suddenly got up and walked over to the bar area, with Gui tailing close behind me. The bartender turned around to face me, his bored expression suddenly lightening up till he saw Gui, to which it turned into a small frown. "Sir, can you turn up that TV?" I asked hurriedly.

With a simple nod, the bartender took out a remote from his waist apron pocket and turned it up. On the screen was a pretty reporter, yet she wasn't wearing traditional attire for a reporter. Instead she looked like she was ready to cast a spell, wearing a mage's hat and robe while she held a wand that she treated as a microphone. "... That's right, folks. Prince has returned!" She announced excitedly, her smile becoming less professional.

The entire restaurant had quieted down into a series of murmurs, all eyes focused on the screen. Gui and I quickly exchanged glances, with Gui looking inquiringly at me. _"I'm just as confused as you are!"_ I whispered under my breath, loud enough for only him to hear. We turned our attention back to the screen, which was now showing a large, familiar looking city. _That looks kind of like Infinite City! But the design is so sub-par compared to what Gui and Lolidragon did... _

"Only a month has past since the hottest MMORPG, _Reveries, _was released and dominated the market of online gaming. And with it one of, if not _the_ greatest legend to virtual reality gaming has come back onto the scene: Prince of _Second Life! _After nearly a year of silence, the Blood Elf has revealed himself once again and shown his dominance in the gaming world by winning in the guild tournament with his Odd Squad, successfully taking the land for the grand prize to rename it his old domain; Infinite City." The reporter said as the clips of the game's tournament played through and then finally settling on the supposed 'Infinite City'. "We now turn to Prince, who wishes to make a public statement!"

"Odd Squad!?" Both Gui and I exclaimed, once again looking at each other in disbelief. _How is that even possible? We've all been so busy cleaning up the mess that Long Dian left us on top of all of our personal lives, we've had no time to play games! _The camera zoomed onto the balcony of the castle in the city, focusing on a tall, white haired elf with red eyes. While he was indeed quite handsome and closely resembled Prince, he was definitely no mirror image of my beloved avatar. I just couldn't put my finger on what exactly about him seemed so 'wrong' in his image, though.

I didn't have to wonder for long though, as Gui whispered, "His eyes and smile are nothing like yours."

"W-What?" I asked, feeling my face suddenly get hot at the comment.

"He doesn't have that intense gaze, or genuine smile that you always have. His eyes are forced, and his smile is fake." He replied in a serious tone, making the heat from my face increase.

I looked up at the TV again, where my copycat was speaking and smiling. I didn't know what he was saying because the noise in the restaurant had greatly increased from the announcement, but I knew one thing- I was not going to allow anyone to take credit for the things I did or risk them tarnishing my reputation. Not sparing a moment, I grabbed Gui's hand and rushed out of the restaurant, onto one of the busy streets of downtown XX City.

"Where are we going!?" Gui cried as we raced down the street, still being dragged along by me.

I twisted my head to face him as we ran, "We're going to Long Enterprises to see a certain friend of ours."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: _Hello, delightful readers! I've been so busy with the atrocity that is higher education and employment, that I haven't gotten to really work on this till today! So here is the next chapter of Illusion, just to show that I have not forgotten about this! Make sure to review, because to stay interested in writing I need to know you're still interested in reading!_**

* * *

As soon as Gui pulled up to the towering skyscraper that was centered in XX City, I jumped out and sprinted to the entrance. I slammed the doors open, leaving the individuals in the lobby quite stunned as they watched me stroll up to the receptionist calmly as Gui scrambled inside to keep up with me. "I need to see Loli- I mean Long Shui Han immediately!" I corrected myself, still having a difficult time referring to Lolidragon with her real name. _I honestly doubt I ever will, either._

"O-One moment, please!" The receptionist squeaked, looking flustered as she glanced between me and an exhausted Gui. Even though Long Dian's defeat was televised, somehow or another my face wasn't not shown the entire time because of camera angles as well as my helmet being on for most of the time. That being said, while the receptionist surely did not know I was Prince, she certainly knew I was on close terms with Lolidragon and her father Long-Ba as well as recognize who Gui was. She pressed a button on her desk, and within a moment a hologram of Lolidragon appeared; her face displaying annoyance.

"What is it that could be so important this late at night, Ling!? I'm busy shopping for a new purse on Shang Chang*'s website!" Lolidragon snapped.

"Ma'am, Ms. Feng and Professor Min are here to see you... They said it was urgent." The receptionist replied timidly.

Lolidragon looked confused, "What? Did he get her pregnant?"

"Lolidragon!" Gui exclaimed suddenly, surely feeling equally the amount of embarrassment that I did.

"Oh, I didn't know they could hear me!" Lolidragon giggled, showing her standard mischievous smile that reminded me so much of my brother's. _I swear they are made for each other. _"Alright, alright! Send them up!" With that she ended the call, and the receptionist lead us to the elevator. The receptionist pressed the button for the 44th floor and gave a slight wave as the elevator doors closed in front of her, leaving Gui and I alone. _In an elevator... That won't be stopping for the next 43 floors... _I inwardly groaned, feeling a new emotion that I never had with Gui before- Awkwardness.

For the next ten floors we stayed silent, listening to the drab elevator music play. I could tell Gui was trying his best to not stare, which seemed to add to the awkwardness because I was so used to him staring at me when we played together in Second Life. _It's like he's trying to act like his usual self, but he can't. And it's just making this awkwardness between us even worse. _I thought to myself as we passed the twelfth floor, staring at the display that told us what floor we were on.

I figured to try and reduce the awkwardness, I would break the silence by making some light conversation. "So... That essay on the Xia* Dynasty isn't due till next Tuesday, right?" I blurted out, making me want to shoot myself. _Real smooth__, moron! Asking your date about homework assignments that he gave!_

He gave me a perplexed look, before trying to hide the laugh he was failing at suppressing with his hand. "Yes! I may even extend the deadline to Thursday since many students are having trouble finding sources!"

"Thursday!?" I said, cracking a smile from feeling a bit of relief. _Yes! That means I can deal with this and get that long-ass paper in time since it's Monday! _

Suddenly Gui placed his left hand on my right cheek, lifting my face to look at his. "I love seeing that smile, especially if I'm the reason for it." He said lovingly, his eyes reflecting his tone. Once again I was left speechless, from Gui's spontaneity as well as his trance inducing eyes. I was glued to the floor, unable to pull away as he slowly made his way to close the gap between us.

"So-" I heard the familiar voice of Lolidragon start, causing Gui to stop suddenly and turn his face to look at her. "does this mean you really did knock her up?"

Gui removed his hand from my face, the area hot and my heart racing. His face was just as red as I sure mine was as he spoke"Lolidragon, come on! What we came for is serious!"

"Okay, okay! I give!" Lolidragon threw up her hands mockingly as she winked at us. "Come in and grab a seat, I suppose for you two to actually come here instead of calling me it must be pretty big." She gestured to a couple of plush, vibrant colored chairs that were seated in front of her intimidating oak desk. I walked over and picked the purple chair to the left while Gui was stuck in the hot pink chair across from me. "So, don't keep me waiting in suspense! What's up?"

"Someone is impersonating the Odd Squad!" I blurted out, finally able to discuss the matter that had been weighing heavily on my mind. Lolidragon look stupefied, as if I had spoken in another language to her. I quickly explained what we saw and heard on the TV, the fake Prince, them mentioning an Odd Squad as well as the title of the game it was on, _Reveries_. As I recalled the event, with each sentence Lolidragon's smile dropped little by little till her expression was seething with anger.

"Those little shits, they actually did it..." She mumbled when I was done retelling my story.

"Who?" Both Gui and I asked.

Lolidragon sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she rubbed her forehead. "Right after the Long Dian Incident, the board had a meeting with the heads of all the teams that were involved in with _Second Life_; developers, server managers, GMs, anyone who kept the game running basically. The meeting was over what the fate of_ Second Life_ would be, whether it would be kept running in light of this scandal and impending lawsuits or to abandon the game but leave the servers up because the AIs had become sentient. In the end we decided it would be best to abandon _Second Life_ and focus on other ventures outside of Virtual Realities for now since our reputation with those was now tarnished.

"However..." Lolidragon began, then suddenly slammed her fist on her desk. "There were a couple of damn fools on the original developer team with Long Dian that disagreed, and ran off with the information that created _Second Life_. Because all the knowledge was essentially in their head, and as long as they didn't go make copycat of_ Second Life_, there's not a damn thing we can do about it!"

I was bewildered as to where she was going with this tangent she was on. "Okay... So what does this have do with someone impersonating us?"

Lolidragon looked at me wildly before her expression changed to confusion, "Ah... Sorry. I'm just almost certain that they have something to do with this... This new game _Reveries_, that is. It sounds close enough to be _Second Life_'s engine and general foundation, but tweaked enough so we couldn't claim they were making the same thing."

"So what should we do about this fake Odd Squad?" I asked, wanting to hear her advice. While Lolidragon always teased me and would sometimes sell Prince's image for the sake of money (Don't think I didn't forget all those "photoshoots" you made me do!); she was fiercely loyal and for the longest time the person I leaned on for counsel when I struggled with hiding my identity back on _Second Life_.

"Well what do _you _think we should do? After all, aren't you the leader of the Odd Squad? Even now, you could call to arms everyone from our group and even those from Infinite City whether it be in real life or in a game!" Lolidragon said, giving me another playful wink and smile.

"She's right." Gui said, rising from his chair. He walked over to me, grabbing my hand as he knelt to be face to face with me. With a teasing smile, he kissed my hand and said, "I will always be my Highness' side!"

"I've told you not to call me that!" I exclaimed in irritation, kicking him in the shin as hard as I could. Since this was real life I couldn't tell if my kick actually hurt him or not, but he feigned injury regardless by rubbing his leg.

"So does that mean what I think that means?" Lolidragon said with a wild grin.

I returned her smile, "It means you better buy a new headset while you're on Shang Chang."

* * *

**Shang Chang: Literally means Market in Chinese. Don't bother looking up to see if it's a real site, I already did and it isn't.**

**Xia Dynasty: The "first" dynasty of China according to ancient Chinese writings. It is highly debated among historians and archaeologists if the Xia Dynasty was real or mythical. (Look at Wikipedia or your local Chinese history textbook for more info.)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: After over one long treacherous month, I bring to you a long awaited chapter of Illusion! I toiled and struggled throughout this chapter, mainly over a new name for Prince. I didn't want to be cheesy and I didn't want it to be out of character, so I did probably too much research that was actually needed for a simple name. Either way, here's a short chapter which I promise a new one will not take as long to bring out! **

**As always, reviews are a must for me to continue! And there is still a poll up as to which story people want to see have the most focus from me (I posted a similar announcement in Imbroglio, which if you haven't read then you should (Read Second Generation first, though.)!**

* * *

The rest of the evening went quite quick, with Gui and I heading to the night market to buy the headsets before he dropped me off at my house. As he began to walk away, I hesitated for a moment before I ran up behind and grappled him into an awkward hug. "Uh... Thanks for today..." I said, letting go quickly.

Gui turned around, his face tinged in pink. He pulled me back to him, bringing him close to his chest. _S-So close!_ I thought to myself, even though he was always all over me while I was Prince, this felt much different. "No, thank you. I'll see you in the game, okay?" He said softly, suddenly kissing the top of my head.

"Yes!" I blurted out loudly, quickly breaking away from him. "See you then!" In one motion I opened my door and slipped through it, truly believing that if I was with Gui any longer I would go into cardiac arrest by how fast my heart was beating. When I closed the door, I slid down the back of it while holding the headsets that I bought for my brother and I.

"What happened, Sis?" My brother suddenly appeared from around the corner, looking amused by how flustered I must have looked. "Am I going to have to be calling Gui my brother-in-law soon?" He teased ruthlessly.

"Shut up and play, Yang Ming!" I yelled as I threw his headset straight at his head. I was so caught up in my embarrassment I didn't realize he would have no idea what I was talking about; so I was left explaining the news cast as well as the meeting with Lolidragon to him as I tended to the massive bump on his head that formed from the collision with the headset. When he finally stopped whimpering like a baby, we both went to our bedrooms to begin our new adventure in the game _Reveries._

_I wouldn't be surprised if Lolidragon was right about those guys copying Second Life. _I thought to myself as I looked over the headset, with its clear plastic visor and sensors that lined the parts of the headset that would make contact with temples and back of the head, the only difference I could honestly see was the color being blue instead of the standard red that _Second Life _had. Slipping underneath my blankets, I placed the headset on my face and turned it on. A sense of nostalgia fell over me as the induced sleep slowly weighed on my eyelids, soon leaving me in pitch darkness.

"Welcome to Reveries!" I heard from within the darkness, before a sudden light appeared leaving me momentarily blind. When my eyes adjusted, I noticed I was in a room that looked similar to the character creation room in Second Life. _Geez, is there anything they actually made original?_ I thought to myself, disappointed with game makers of the day. Before I could lament any further a woman suddenly appeared in front of me, levitating about five feet from the ground. She was of course ridiculously gorgeous, with a tiny waist and barely covered curves that could make any straight man drool over her. At first I assumed she was a GM like Lolidragon was, but when I locked eyes with her I noticed how emotionless they were. _Ah, she's an NPC! Making Prince without garnering suspicion just got easier!_ She smiled and continued, "Please give us a moment to analyze your physical attributes, and then you may begin customizing your avatar!"

A scanner ran up and down my body a couple of times, to which a variety of different 'races' of me appeared. "Please select the race you wish to play." The NPC said.

"I want to be an elf, a male elf." I replied sternly, focusing on the female elf version of me that was currently being displayed.

"I'm sorry, currently we are unable to change individuals to the opposite sex! Please select another option for customization." She replied in a robotic tone.

_Shit, that's right. Originally I was a special exception because I was the first player to login to Second Life... _I hadn't planned on this, jumping to the conclusion that I would be able to become male again in game. And I didn't want to reveal my identity either, so staying how I was would be out of the question as well. _Not to mention not looking like Prince would probably not be very convincing either... _Then the idea hit me, _that's it! Just because I'm biologically female doesn't mean I can't **look** male!_

"Is it possible to make myself more masculine?" I asked as I crossed my fingers.

"Yes, character customization is limitless with the exception of biological sex." Elf-me started to grow taller than me, her face more angular, hips smaller and body more muscular.

"I want my hair jaw length and white, with red eyes as well!" I demanded, to which the NPC obliged. The avatar closed and reopened her eyes, revealing them to be the blood red eyes I was so accustomed to. Her hair slowly became shorter, as if the hair was residing back into her scalp as the color white began to run down her hair from the roots. At this point, the female avatar could pass for Prince better than the individual who was currently using my alias. With a few tweaks, she was indistinguishable from how Prince looked in _Second Life_.

The NPC looked at my avatar curiously, "How interesting that this set of characteristics is so common among players, though this is the first time a female has wanted it." Her eyes darted back to me, as if remembering her job. "What would you like your name to be?"

_And here is the biggest decision. _I thought to myself, biting at my lip. _I obviously can't call myself Prince anymore because of that damn copycat. So what name should I go by?_ I thought long and hard, wanting something that spoke true to myself as Prince but was also ambiguous enough to reveal my true identity. Something that people could identify me as the real Prince, but nothing that would look like a lame ripoff of my beloved character's former name. After mumbling a variety of words out loud to myself, I realized that they all shared something similar in common. "Wei*. My name will be Wei!" I announced, having finally decided._ Short and simple, just like Prince._

"So it shall be done. Wei, I formally welcome you into _Reveries! _Enjoy your time in-game!" The NPC said as she merged my conscious into my character, causing me to black out.

* * *

**Wei: Wei can mean a lot of things, depending on the 'e' that is used (I don't have the special character to define which e, and I kind of wanted to leave it that way for the readers interpretation of it.) Wei can mean power, might and prestige; as well as high, lofty and majestic. All characteristics that Prince has or is referred to (His Majesty, anyone?). There were other contenders, but this one I felt was the best fitting for Prince.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: _Good evening, readers! As promised, I bring you the next chapter of Illusion quicker than the last release! I hope this chapter is well and the story too, since writing this one is a bit more of struggle than writing Imbroglio. Let me know your thoughts through reviews and PMs, there are always wanted and appreciated! I can't promise when the next release for either story will be, but I will try my best not to be too slow!_**

* * *

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in the middle of the beginner elf town. There were a few people that were milling around, evidence of how late I was entering into the game. It's been like a month or so since the game has released, so the majority of people who are going to play it bought it when it first came out. A realization came to me when I touched my face, a subconscious gesture of mine whenever I was thinking. I immediately looked down, heaving a large sigh of relief when I saw the newcomer clothes were unisex. _For a minute there, I thought they might have dropped me in some barely there outfit!_ The imagery of Prince in some sort of harlot outfit was both hilarious and disturbing. I had not bothered to think about the real issue at heart though, that soon became apparent when my presence was finally noticed by three young elf ladies. As soon as I locked eyes with them, I quickly became familiar with the nostalgic feeling of being a piece of steak for a pack of hungry wolves. Not missing a beat, I quickly jumped up and darted through the alleyways of the town to evade them. _Why does this always happen to me!? _

I was outside of the town when I finally lost the lusting pack of women, which I mumbled a quick word of thanks. _I do need to be out here to level up, and I'm not too sure I could have made it out here if I intentionally tried..._ Grabbing the beginner dagger out of my inventory, I crept towards my first victim- a wolf much like the ones in Second Life. I waited in the bushes till it had turned around with its back towards me before I struck. With only a foot or so separating us, I made one swift movement of grabbing the wolf by the tail and yanking it upwards. The wolf went flying into the air, which I used to make a downward slash, neatly cutting the wolf from its lower belly to its neck. The gutting of the wolf of course left a bloody aftermath, which I couldn't help but reveal in the sheer rawness of experiencing the thrill of victory again. _It's been such a long time since I've enjoyed a game with so little worries! _

My wolf genocide continued until I was level 10, the level I could become the warrior class. After about a hour of wandering in the fields in the pursuit of finding the beginner town, I finally made it to the class changer. The class changer was your generic NPC, with an average joe face and personality. I had to listen to the lengthy and boring lecture about being a warrior before he finally changed my class. Just like in Second Life I received a beginner set of warrior armor as well as a beginner warrior weapon generator, which generated at random a type of weapon a warrior could use. Excitedly, I used the generator so I could finally brandish a proper weapon again. I stuck my hand in the glowing bag, gripping onto the hilt of the weapon and pulled to find- _a broadsword..._ I stared at the sword, which was revealed to be one of the worst broadswords in the entire game. _What the hell is this? I can't use a broadsword!_ I sighed in disappointment, longing for my black dao again. _I'm sure if I save up enough money I could just buy a dao, but... It won't be the same at all..._ I shook my head, trying to stay optimistic.

_There's still the armor! Armor is armor, so surely this set will be good enough for a little b-_ I pulled out the armor from my inventory, the armor being incredibly feminine and chest baring. Fuming, I threw the armor a good ten feet away from me. _What damn good is that piece of shit for? It doesn't even protect half of the vital areas! And if I'm going to continue being male, I can't be wearing something like that!_

Feeling defeated and frustrated so early in the game, I sat down on the side of the curb with my head hanging low. It just occurred to me that none of my friends are here too... I looked up, now noticing I wasn't the only one who had adopted Prince's signature red eyes and white hair among the elves of the game. _Will they be able to recognize me even?_ My mind quickly flashed to Gui, and the incident that happened in Flower City. My heart quickened and my cheeks began to feel hot at the memory. _No! It was just a lucky guess by his part! There's no way he could honestly know that was you-_

"I found his Highness!" I heard a familiar voice cry from behind me. I didn't get the chance to turn around before I found myself face first in the dirt, with what I figured was about 180 pounds of bard clinging on top of my back.

"I got to admit, Lolidragon..." The gruff voice of Wolf-dage began, "Using Gui like a bloodhound to find Prince was a pretty smart idea."

Lolidragon let out a proud laugh, "Of course! We all know that Gui could find the real Prince even if Prince had gone bald and looked like Lei Gong*!"

_"Hey, who are you calling ugly!?"_ Was what I intended to say to Lolidragon, but since my face was still in the dirt it came out more like, "Herf, wer raw oo carring ufry!?" Gui finally got off of me, though I could tell he was quite reluctant to do so. Once I rubbed the dirt from my eyes, I opened them to look at the group that 'found' me. It was all the Odd Squad plus my twin brother, each one looking the same as they did in Second Life with the exception of their armors. My final gaze was on Gui, who's face was only six inches away from my own. "So-" I turned from him to face the others, feeling quite flustered with him being so close to my face. "how did you guys know it was me?"

"Wellll, honestly we only used Gui and his knack of finding you. But it was honestly pretty easy to see it was you once he found you- you're the only Prince lookalike here who looks all depressed over their weapon and has dry blood caked all over them." Lolidragon replied, who looked quite amused at my awkwardness with Gui.

Knowing I couldn't just not acknowledge his presence, I turned to him having a confused expression on his face. I quirked an eyebrow, since him being confused was a rare sight. "Prince..." He began to say, looking me up and down. "You feel... Different." It took me a minute to realize what he was talking about, a horrifying reality clicking. _I'm not male, anymore!_ Without even thinking, I slapped him across the face; the reaction startling the group.

It would have been one thing for me to have beaten him up, that was something normal and expected of me to do. But a slap to the face was completely unexpected, something that had much more severity behind it than the classic Second Life thrashing had. My senses kicked in right after, his expression bewildered and heartbroken as he touched the red hand print that was left on his face. "Ah... Sorry." I said quietly, the guilt of my action starting to hit me. "I'm... not male..."

A moment of clarity seemed to dawn on everyone, with Gui's face becoming redder than the hand print that I left on him. "No! It should me that's sorry! I should have figured as much since you were the only exception for that on Second Life!"

"Hmm..." Lolidragon walked around where I sat and ran her eyes over me, as if sizing me up. "They did a pretty damn good job of not making you look female, I'll say that much. Did you have a NPC to help you?"

I nodded, "Yes, I asked her to make me more masculine and I worked with it from that point." She said nothing more about the subject outside of a simple nod and "I see." before she carried on to her next topic.

"Well, if that's the case then that explains why you're still in your starter clothes. But thankfully your big sis' Lolidragon was thoughtful and got you a few things!" Before I could ask what in the world she was talking about, she pulled out a set of armor similar to my old set and a black dao.

"How in the world did you get these!?" I asked excitedly, jumping up and grabbing the items from her hand.

"When I looked at Shang Chang I found they were selling limited edition 'Prince' items because of 'Prince's return'." She said, gesturing with her fingers at the last bit. "I figured it would be in our best interests to get you the dao from that selection so none of us had to hear you whine. However this dao isn't a growing type like the one in Second Life, but you can refine it and make it stronger as you level up."

"And the armor?" I asked, running my hand over the cool metal chest plate. "The armor is another buyable, one that has similar stats to the one you wore in Second Life. I figured at least giving you an armor that had similar stats will help you adjust better to the game than just starting out and struggling. It'll also make you look respectable, even if people do realize it is a purchasable item." She replied, looking quite proud at her act of kindness.

Sparing no time, I quickly ran to a nearby store that had restroom. Ignoring that physically I was female, I ran into the men's restroom and quickly changed into my armor. To my luck, the armor was unisex as well so no one would be able to tell that I was actually a woman. I walked back out, and examined myself in a mirror that was being sold. The armor had a similar design to the blood-red armor was known for as the Overlord of Infinite City, but still had its differences. It was black with red accents and less bulky, making it easier to move around in. "How do I look?" I asked my team, turning myself around so I could see how it looked on the back.

Gui was the first to reply, his eyes showing pride and adoration. "There is no way anyone could say you're not Prince."

"No kidding..." Lolidragon remarked as she ran her gaze over me, her expression failing to hide the obscene thoughts running through her head.

Yang Ming coughed loudly as he held a glare filled with jealousy. _"Just because I know you're my sister doesn't mean I won't send my sword through your pretty face!" _He P'Med me. I couldn't help but roll my eyes, slightly amused by his threat.

"Prince-gege," Doll suddenly piped up, "what are we planning to do next? Doll wants to fight the fake Doll with the power of love and justice!" She exclaimed, thrusting her wand up in the area in an act of determination.

"Good question! Where _are _we going next, oh great leader?" Yang Ming asked in a sarcastic manner.

I bit my lip, _I hadn't thought this far yet! _I wasn't really sure how exactly we were going to usurp the fake Prince, especially since he already owned a city and was pretty much untouchable to our measly level ten characters. In desperation, I looked over at the only person in the group that had an IQ over 200- Gui.

"May I suggest something, your Highness?" Gui said, noticing my quiet plea for help. I quickly nodded, thankful to Gui for the rescue. "Well, looking at the situation as of right now the only thing we can do is train to raise our levels. It would also be good that during this we start making connections with other guilds, figuring out a way to prove that our Prince is the real Prince without having to reveal his identity in real life."

I started to feel excited, of getting closer to dethroning that impostor."Then what are we waiting for? There's a field not too far from here we can train in!"

"But Prince we don'- Prince, wait!" Gui shouted as I ran out the store without a second thought, my mind set on our next training destination.

* * *

**Lei Gong: God of Thunder in Taoism. He is typically portrayed in his human form as a horribly ugly man.**


End file.
